The use of sub-Tenon's anesthesia versus a low-dose neuromuscular blockade for canine cataract surgery: A comparative study of 224 eyes.

OBJECTIVE: Assess the utility of a Sub-Tenon's anesthesia (STA) protocol to provide suitable operating conditions for canine cataract surgery and compare it to an alternative low-dose neuromuscular blockade (LD-NMB) protocol used for canine cataract surgery. PROCEDURES: Clinical study of dog eyes undergoing cataract surgery with either an STA or LD-NMB protocol. While intraoperative vitreal expansion scores and intraoperative complications were collected prospectively, globe position, intraocular pressure, return of vision, and postoperative complications were collected retrospectively. Statistical testing was used to compare results between the STA and the LD-NMB groups for the data available. RESULTS: A total of 224 eyes from 126 dogs were assessed, with 133/224 (59.4%) eyes from 99/126 (78.6%) dogs receiving STA and 91/124 (40.6%) eyes from 72/126 (57.1%) dogs receiving LD-NMB. Forty-five of these dogs (45/126; 37.7%) received STA for one eye and LD-NMB for the other eye. There was no significant change in intraocular pressure measurements following STA administration. This was not measured for the LD-NMB group. The globe achieved a central position in 110/133 (82.7%) of eyes that received STA. This was not measured for the LD-NMB group. Intraoperative vitreal expansion scores were slightly higher in STA-treated eyes compared to LD-NMB-treated eyes. The intraoperative complication rate for STA-treated eyes was higher (73/133; 54.8%) compared to NMB-treated eyes (12/91; 13.2%). The most common intraoperative complication for STA was chemosis (64/133; 48.1%), the risk of which increased with an increase in the volume of local anesthetic injected. The post-operative complication rate was higher in STA-treated eyes (28/133; 21.1%) compared to NMB-treated eyes (16/91; 17.6%). Post-operative corneal ulceration was the most common postoperative complication in STA-treated eyes (6/133; 4.5%). CONCLUSION: The STA protocol described resulted in suitable operating conditions, but more intraoperative and postoperative complications compared to the LD-NMB protocol. Despite these complications, the STA protocol did not cause a significant deleterious impact on post-operative outcomes as defined in the present study.

Companion Animal Fostering as Health Promotion: A Literature Review.

There is growing interest in the health-promoting potential of human-companion animal relationships from a broad public health perspective while acknowledging barriers to ownership, particularly for older adults. Companion animal fostering is an alternative to pet ownership that aligns with the Ottawa Charter health promotion principle that caring for others in everyday settings promotes health. This narrative review of the literature on companion animal fostering draws on Te Whare Tapa Wha (the four-sided house), an indigenous model of health that is influential in Aotearoa/New Zealand, and the Ottawa Charter. We found that companion animal fostering can be considered health-promoting for human and non-human animals, using a broad and multidimensional understanding of health. As well as improving the long-term outcomes for homeless animals, companion animal fostering has the potential to promote the health of the individuals, families, and communities who provide foster homes. Our review highlights the importance of health promoters considering the reciprocal relationship between human and animal health. Future research should explore different aspects of human and non-human health, perspectives of different types of fosterers in different settings and communities, barriers to fostering, and methods that explore the role of caring for a wider range of companion animals in creating and sustaining wellbeing.

A systematic review of social research data collection methods used to investigate voluntary animal disease reporting behaviour.

Voluntary detection of emerging disease outbreaks is considered essential for limiting their potential impacts on livestock industries. However, many of the strategies employed by animal health authorities to capture data on potential emerging disease threats rely on farmers and veterinarians identifying situations of concern and then voluntarily taking appropriate actions to notify animal health authorities. To improve the performance of these systems, it is important to understand the range of socio-cultural factors influencing the willingness of individuals to engage with disease reporting such as trust in government, perceived economic impacts, social stigma and perceptions of 'good farming'. The objectives of this systematic review were to assess how different social research methodologies have been employed to understand the role these socio-cultural dimensions play in voluntary disease reporting and to discuss limitations to address in future research. The review uncovered 39 relevant publications that employed a range of quantitative and qualitative methodologies including surveys, interviews, focus groups, scenarios, observations, mixed-methods, interventions and secondary data analysis. While these studies provided valuable insights, one significant challenge remains eliciting accurate statements of behaviour and intentions rather than those that reflect desirable social norms. There is scope to develop methodological innovations to study the decision to report animal disease to help overcome the gap between what people say they do and their observable behaviour. A notable absence is studies exploring specific interventions designed to encourage disease reporting. Greater clarity in specifying the disease contexts, behavioural mechanisms and outcomes and the relationships between them would provide a more theoretically informed and policy relevant understanding of how disease reporting works, for which farmers, and in which disease contexts.

Corrigendum: Evidence in Practice - a Pilot Study Leveraging Companion Animal and Equine Health Data From Primary Care Veterinary Clinics in New Zealand.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2016.00116.].

Transmission dynamics of an antimicrobial resistant Campylobacter jejuni lineage in New Zealand's commercial poultry network.

Understanding the relative contribution of different between-farm transmission pathways is essential in guiding recommendations for mitigating disease spread. This study investigated the association between contact pathways linking poultry farms in New Zealand and the genetic relatedness of antimicrobial resistant Campylobacter jejuni Sequence Type 6964 (ST-6964), with the aim of identifying the most likely contact pathways that contributed to its rapid spread across the industry. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on 167C. jejuni ST-6964 isolates sampled from across 30 New Zealand commercial poultry enterprises. The genetic relatedness between isolates was determined using whole genome multilocus sequence typing (wgMLST). Permutational multivariate analysis of variance and distance-based linear models were used to explore the strength of the relationship between pairwise genetic associations among the C. jejuni isolates and each of several pairwise distance matrices, indicating either the geographical distance between farms or the network distance of transportation vehicles. Overall, a significant association was found between the pairwise genetic relatedness of the C. jejuni isolates and the parent company, the road distance and the network distance of transporting feed vehicles. This result suggests that the transportation of feed within the commercial poultry industry as well as other local contacts between flocks, such as the movements of personnel, may have played a significant role in the spread of C. jejuni. However, further information on the historical contact patterns between farms is needed to fully characterise the risk of these pathways and to understand how they could be targeted to reduce the spread of C. jejuni.

The Genetic Relatedness and Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Mastitis-Causing Staphylococcus aureus Strains Isolated from New Zealand Dairy Cattle.

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the leading causes of bovine mastitis worldwide and is a common indication for use of antimicrobials on dairy farms. This study aims to investigate the association between on-farm antimicrobial usage and the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles of mastitis-causing S. aureus. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on 57 S. aureus isolates derived from cows with either clinical or subclinical mastitis from 17 dairy herds in New Zealand. The genetic relatedness between isolates was examined using the core single nucleotide polymorphism alignment whilst AMR and virulence genes were identified in-silico. The association between gene presence-absence and sequence type (ST), antimicrobial susceptibility and dry cow therapy treatment was investigated using Scoary. Altogether, eight STs were identified with 61.4% (35/57) belonging to ST-1. Furthermore, 14 AMR-associated genes and 76 virulence-associated genes were identified, with little genetic diversity between isolates belonging to the same ST. Several genes including merR1 which is thought to play a role in ciprofloxacin-resistance were found to be significantly overrepresented in isolates sampled from herds using ampicillin/cloxacillin dry cow therapy. Overall, the presence of resistance genes remains low and current antimicrobial usage patterns do not appear to be driving AMR in S. aureus associated with bovine mastitis.

Factors influencing the performance of voluntary farmer disease reporting in passive surveillance systems: A scoping review.

The impacts of exotic disease incursions on livestock industries can be mitigated by having robust surveillance systems in place that decrease the time between disease introduction and detection. An important component of this is having farmers routinely observe their animals for indications of clinical disease, recognise the existence of problems, and then decide to notify their veterinarian or animal health authorities. However, as highlighted by this literature review, farmers are believed to be underreporting clinical events due to factors such as (1) uncertainty around the clinical signs and situations that warrant reporting, (2) fear over the social and economic consequences from both positive and false positive reports, (3) negative beliefs regarding the efficacy and outcomes of response measures, (4) mistrust and dissatisfaction with animal health authorities, (5) absence of sufficiently attractive financial and non-financial incentives for submitting reports, and (6) poor awareness of the procedures involved with the submission, processing, and response to reports. There have been few formal studies evaluating the efficacy of different approaches to increasing farmer engagement with disease reporting. However, there is a recognised need for any proposed solutions to account for farmer knowledge and experience with assessing their own farm situation as well as the different identities, motivations, and beliefs that farmers have about their role in animal health surveillance systems. Empowering farmers to take a more active role in developing these solutions is likely to become even more important as animal health authorities increasingly look to establish public-private partnerships for biosecurity governance.

Assessing the perceptions and practices of peri-urban dairy farmers regarding bovine mastitis management in North-Western Nigeria.

Peri-urban dairy farming is an emerging industry in sub-Saharan Africa that risks being undermined by diseases like bovine mastitis (BM) if farmers do not implement appropriate management programmes. However, little is currently known about farmer perceptions and practices towards BM due to challenges with accessing these herds for research. In this study, 49 intensive and 53 extensive peri-urban dairy farmers having ≥10 milking cows in Kaduna and Zaria metropolises, North-Western Nigeria were recruited through snowball sampling and on-farm interviews were conducted to collect information on herd demographics, milking procedures, and mastitis management. Descriptive statistics were provided for all study variables and statistical comparisons were made between intensive and extensive herds. The mean herd size was 33 milking cows (range: 11-62). A greater proportion of extensive herds contained only indigenous breeds of cattle (36/53; 68 %) compared with intensive herds (6/49; 12 %). Hand milking was the most common milking method across both herd types (93/102; 92 %). Intensive herds had better hand washing and udder cleaning practices, but there was no statistical difference between management systems with regards to floor, udder, and tail cleanliness. Only a small number of farms performed on-farm diagnosis of BM via strip cup test (4/102; 4%) or rapid mastitis test (3/102; 3%). Treatment of clinical mastitis was typically by intramuscular antibiotic injection (71/102; 70 %) or topically applied herbal preparations (14/102; 14 %). Dry cow intramammary therapy was only used by 6/46 intensive farms (13 %) and 1/53 extensive farms (2%). Most extensive herds (40/53; 76 %) reported milking cows with clinical mastitis after apparently healthy cows, however this practice was less common among intensive herds (5/49; 10 %). Extensive herds were less likely to request veterinary assistance for mastitis than intensive herds (17/53; 32 % versus 28/49; 57 %) and had higher perceived costs for treating BM cases. Intensive farmers reportedly received higher prices for milk than extensive farmers and perceived that BM was causing significantly more production losses in their herds. Only a small number of farmers (20/102; 20 %) kept mastitis treatment records for their herds. Overall, the study findings indicate that peri-urban dairy farmers may be lacking in awareness of BM impacts and access to basic resources to implement good practices such as hand washing between milking cows and antibiotic intramammary infusions.

Building Veterinarians beyond Veterinary School: Challenges and Opportunities for Continuing Professional Development in Veterinary Medicine.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is an important mechanism for veterinarians to acquire, maintain, and enhance their capability to perform competently in their chosen practice area over their career. Although most licensing bodies require veterinarians to complete a minimum number of CPD hours each registration cycle, there are known issues with verifying that these activities are having the desired effects of ensuring professional competence and improving outcomes for patients, owners, and veterinarians. In this review, we summarize the literature across different health care professions to highlight three key challenges for veterinary CPD programs. These are (a) defining what it means to be professionally competent across different career stages from graduation to retirement, (b) delivering CPD activities that are effective in promoting evidence-based medicine and behavioral change in practice, and (c) developing reliable and sustainable systems to formally assess the continued professional competence of veterinarians. A common theme across all challenges was the importance of interacting with colleagues as an opportunity to receive external feedback on their professional strengths and weaknesses and to develop stronger support networks for managing common stressors in clinical practice. There was also a recognized need to develop more transparent outlines of the available and acceptable options for managing different animal health concerns as a first step toward identifying new opportunities for the veterinary profession to elevate the level of care provided. Based on these findings, we propose a new framework for defining, delivering, and evaluating CPD that promotes stronger collaboration between veterinarians to improve professional and personal well-being.

Using multiple data sources to explore disease transmission risk between commercial poultry, backyard poultry, and wild birds in New Zealand.

The movements of backyard poultry and wild bird populations are known to pose a disease risk to the commercial poultry industry. However, it is often difficult to estimate this risk due to the lack of accurate data on the numbers, locations, and movement patterns of these populations. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the use of three different data sources when investigating disease transmission risk between poultry populations in New Zealand including (1) cross-sectional survey data looking at the movement of goods and services within the commercial poultry industry, (2) backyard poultry sales data from the online auction site TradeMe®, and (3) citizen science data from the wild bird monitoring project eBird. The cross-sectional survey data and backyard poultry sales data were transformed into network graphs showing the connectivity of commercial and backyard poultry producers across different geographical regions. The backyard poultry network was also used to parameterise a Susceptible-Infectious (SI) simulation model to explore the behaviour of potential disease outbreaks. The citizen science data was used to create an additional map showing the spatial distribution of wild bird observations across New Zealand. To explore the potential for diseases to spread between each population, maps were combined into bivariate choropleth maps showing the overlap between movements within the commercial poultry industry, backyard poultry trades and, wild bird observations. Network analysis revealed that the commercial poultry network was highly connected with geographical clustering around the urban centres of Auckland, New Plymouth and Christchurch. The backyard poultry network was also a highly active trade network and displayed similar geographic clustering to the commercial network. In the disease simulation models, the high connectivity resulted in all suburbs becoming infected in 96.4 % of the SI simulations. Analysis of the eBird data included reports of over 80 species; the majority of which were identified as coastal seabirds or wading birds that showed little overlap with either backyard or commercial poultry. Overall, our study findings highlight how the spatial patterns of trading activity within the commercial poultry industry, alongside the movement of backyard poultry and wild birds, have the potential to contribute significantly to the spread of diseases between these populations. However, it is clear that in order to fully understand this risk landscape, further data integration is needed; including the use of additional datasets that have further information on critical variables such as environmental factors.

Challenges and opportunities for using national animal datasets to support foot-and-mouth disease control.

National level databases of animal numbers, locations and movements provide the essential foundations for disease preparedness, outbreak investigations and control activities. These activities are particularly important for managing and mitigating the risks of high-impact transboundary animal disease outbreaks such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which can significantly affect international trade access and domestic food security. In countries where livestock production systems are heavily subsidized by the government, producers are often required to provide detailed animal movement and demographic data as a condition of business. In the remaining countries, it can be difficult to maintain these types of databases and impossible to estimate the extent of missing or inaccurate information due to the absence of gold standard datasets for comparison. Consequently, competent authorities are often required to make decisions about disease preparedness and control based on available data, which may result in suboptimal outcomes for their livestock industries. It is important to understand the limitations of poor data quality as well as the range of methods that have been developed to compensate in both disease-free and endemic situations. Using FMD as a case example, this review first discusses the different activities that competent authorities use farm-level animal population data for to support (1) preparedness activities in disease-free countries, (2) response activities during an acute outbreak in a disease-free country, and (3) eradication and control activities in an endemic country. We then discuss (4) data requirements needed to support epidemiological investigations, surveillance, and disease spread modelling both in disease-free and endemic countries.

A descriptive study of ciguatera fish poisoning in Cook Islands dogs and cats: Treatment and outcome.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is an illness caused by the ingestion of fish containing ciguatoxins. Dogs and cats are susceptible to CFP, but there is little published and much unknown about the condition in these species. This study aimed to document the treatment and outcome of canine and feline cases of CFP, and to look for prognostic indicators. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six years of medical records from the Esther Honey Foundation Animal Clinic (the only veterinary clinic in the Cook Islands during the study period) were reviewed to identify cases of CFP. Data relating to treatment and outcome were collected. RESULTS: Two hundred and forty-six cases of CFP were identified, comprising 165 dogs and 81 cats. The treatments most commonly administered to cases were fluid therapy and muscle relaxants. Mannitol was only given to five animals. The survival rate was >90% and almost all mortalities occurred in the first week of hospitalization. Recovery was slow, with hospitalization averaging 12.9 days. There was no significant difference in recovery times between dogs and cats. Prolonged periods of anorexia and recumbency were common in both species. Factors associated with prolonged recovery times included case severity, anorexia, and age (in dogs). CONCLUSION: This article documented the treatment and outcome of animals afflicted by CFP in the Cook Islands. Therapy for CFP was primarily symptomatic and supportive. The survival rate was high, but recovery was often prolonged. The findings will assist veterinarians in giving prognoses and managing owner expectations.

Modelling the economics of bovine viral diarrhoea virus control in pastoral dairy and beef cattle herds.

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) is a prevalent pathogen in the New Zealand cattle industries, yet few studies to date have evaluated the economics of BVDV in pastoral dairy and beef herds to help inform management decisions. To address this knowledge gap, we developed stochastic individual-based simulation models to represent the transmission dynamics of BVDV in typical spring-calving dairy and beef farms in New Zealand. The models conservatively estimated the direct losses due to a BVDV outbreak at NZ$ 22.22 and NZ$ 41.19 per mixed-age cow per year for a naïve dairy and beef farm, respectively, over a 5-year period. The greatest economic impacts for the dairy farm occurred when persistently infected replacement heifers joined the lactating cow group and caused transient infection of cows to drop in milk production, whereas the greatest impacts for the beef farm was through the loss of fattening stock for sale due to lowered pregnancy rates. Various combinations of diagnostic testing, vaccination, and biosecurity measures were then explored to evaluate the cost-efficiency of different strategies for controlling BVDV at the farm-level. Providing farmers with the estimates of economic impacts of BVDV in their herds may further encourage the uptake of control measures, but close collaboration with a veterinarian to determine the optimal strategy for their unique farm circumstances is still required.

Experience of Practicing Veterinarians with Supervising Final-Year Students and New Graduates in Performing Desexing Surgeries.

With increasing pressure on university teaching hospital caseloads, veterinary students are increasingly being taught basic desexing skills during their final-year extramural rotations or as new graduates in practice. A cross-sectional survey of New Zealand veterinarians was conducted to elicit information about their experiences supervising these cohorts. Of the 162 respondents who had supervised at least one final-year veterinary student, only 95 (58.6%) allowed students to perform desexing surgeries and the most common procedures they allowed students to perform were cat neuters (96%) followed by cat spays (64%), dog neuters (63%), and dog spays (24%). The time needed to supervise students, the liability of students operating on client-owned animals, and students' poor basic instrument, tissue, and suture handling skills were cited as major deterrents. Breaks in sterility and dropped pedicles were the most frequently reported complications, although these still occurred only occasionally or rarely. Of the 101 respondents who had supervised at least one new graduate, all but one provided surgical mentoring. It took an average of 3.3 dog neuters, 8 dog spays, 2.4 cat neuters, and 4.7 cat spays before respondents were comfortable letting new graduates perform surgery unassisted. Respondents generally expected new graduates to perform dog spays in under 60 minutes, cats spays and dog neuters in under 30 minutes, and cat neuters in under 10 minutes. Although most respondents agreed that students needed more hands-on experience with live animal surgery, the main clinical skills deficiencies identified were ones that could easily be trained and practiced on simulated models.

A descriptive study of ciguatera fish poisoning in Cook Islands dogs and cats: Exposure history, clinical signs, and formulation of a case definition.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is a multisystem toxicosis caused by the ingestion of warm water marine species. Dogs and cats are susceptible to CFP, but there is little published and much unknown about the condition in these species. This study aims to describe the syndrome of CFP in dogs and cats and to develop a case definition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six years (March 2011-February 2017) of medical records from the Esther Honey Foundation Animal Clinic (the only veterinary clinic in the Cook Islands during the study period) were reviewed to identify cases of CFP. Data relating to exposure history and clinical signs were collected. RESULTS: Two hundred forty-six cases of CFP were identified, comprising 165 dogs and 81 cats. Fish ingestion was documented in 29% of cases. Reef/lagoon fish and moray eels were most commonly implicated. The toxicosis was characterized by motor dysfunction with a high frequency of ataxia and paresis/paralysis/recumbency. Respiratory and gastrointestinal systems were also affected, especially in canine CFP cases. A multi-tiered case definition and a diagnostic algorithm for CFP in dogs and cats were developed based upon the findings of this study and a review of the existing literature. CONCLUSION: This case series is the largest study of canine and feline CFP to date. It documents the exposure history of cases and describes in detail clinical signs of the toxicosis. It also proposes a system of case classification that has the potential to both assist the diagnosis of CFP and facilitate future surveillance and research activities.

Modelling the transmission dynamics of bovine digital dermatitis in New Zealand pastoral dairy production systems.

Bovine digital dermatitis (DD) is an important infectious cause of cattle lameness worldwide that has become increasingly prevalent in New Zealand pastoral dairy herds. In this study, a simplified DD scoring system after considering both M and Iowa DD scoring systems was applied to explore the transmission dynamics of DD in a typical spring-calving pastoral New Zealand dairy herd. The modified model only included three compartments: normal skin, early stage lesions and advanced lesions. Lesions regressing after treatment were excluded as DD lesions are rarely treated in New Zealand. Furthermore, sub-classes within each lesion class were not defined due to the lack of variability in DD lesion presentations within New Zealand. The model was validated based on longitudinal field data from three dairy herds in the Waikato region during one lactation season (2017-18). The model suggested that in infected dairy herds, although DD prevalence will tend to increase year-on-year it is likely to remain relatively low (< 18%) even after 10 years of within-herd transmission. It is likely that the low transmission rate during the late lactation (model assumption) results in more cases resolving than developing during this period and therefore results in the low prevalence of infectious cattle at the start of each subsequent lactation. Cattle with advanced lesions had a stronger influence on the establishment and maintenance of DD than cattle with early stage lesions highlighting the importance of targeting these animals for intervention. On-going monitoring of DD is highly recommended to assess the long-term progression of the disease in affected dairy herds.

Cross-sectional survey of anaesthesia and analgesia protocols used to perform routine canine and feline ovariohysterectomies.

OBJECTIVE: To collect baseline descriptive data on the anaesthesia and analgesia protocols used by New Zealand veterinarians in first-opinion practice when performing routine canine and feline ovariohysterectomies. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. ANIMALS: Not applicable. METHODS: An online survey was conducted asking respondents for: 1) preoperative patient assessment; 2) preanaesthetic medication and induction drugs used; 3) anaesthesia maintenance drug choices and monitoring equipment used; and 4) postoperative analgesia drug selections and monitoring for ovariohysterectomy performed in healthy adult dogs and cats. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 472 veterinarians, of whom 282 provided responses for canine ovariohysterectomy and 361 provided responses for feline ovariohysterectomy. Approximately 23% of canine ovariohysterectomies and 13% of feline ovariohysterectomies had preanaesthetic bloodwork performed. There were 74 unique premedication/induction drug combinations reported for canine ovariohysterectomies and 94 for feline ovariohysterectomies. The most commonly used drug combinations were acepromazine, morphine ± propofol and butorphanol, ketamine and medetomidine for canine and feline ovariohysterectomies respectively. Most animals were intubated, and anaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane in oxygen. Use of intravenous catheters, fluid administration, heat support, and monitoring equipment varied. There were 41 unique postoperative analgesia drug combinations reported for canine ovariohysterectomies and 20 for feline ovariohysterectomies. Canine ovariohysterectomies were most commonly administered injectable opioids on the day of surgery followed by 3 days of oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), whereas feline ovariohysterectomies were usually administered a single injection of an opioid or NSAID or both on the day of surgery. Most animals were seen within 7-10 days for re-examination and/or suture removal. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Veterinarians use a wide range of anaesthesia and analgesia protocols for routine ovariohysterectomies. Further research is needed comparing the safety and efficacy of commonly used protocols to determine whether there are opportunities to improve the level of patient welfare.

Guidelines for Implementing a Low-Cost Volunteer Desexing Skills Training Program for Veterinary and Veterinary Technology Students.

Although desexing surgeries are considered a core clinical skill for small animal veterinary practice, it can be challenging for veterinary schools to provide students with adequate training opportunities in the traditional curriculum. At the Massey University School of Veterinary Science, we recently established an innovative extracurricular volunteer program designed to have students teaching other students how to perform different elements of desexing procedures as they progress through their degree. This program includes administrative and assistant roles for first-year students (responsible for client communication, patient restraint, and medical record keeping), physical exam and recovery roles for second-year students (responsible for assessing patient fitness for surgery, drawing up anesthetic drugs, and monitoring patients in recovery), anesthesia and neuter surgeon roles for third-year students (responsible for inducing, preparing, and monitoring spay patients and performing cat neuter surgeries), and spay surgeon roles for fourth- and fifth-year students (responsible for performing cat spay surgeries, discharging patients, and following up with clients to monitor recovery). This program has been successful in improving student confidence and competence while also providing a valuable low-cost desexing service to the community. In this article, we discuss the practical considerations and processes involved in implementing this program, including mapping the existing surgical curriculum, recruiting patients, setting up the surgical facilities, purchasing equipment and supplies, establishing standard operating procedures, developing training materials, maintaining clinic records, and monitoring program outcomes. These resources can serve as guidelines for other veterinary schools looking to expand desexing surgery training opportunities for students.

Evaluating the utility of national-scale data to estimate the local risk of foot-and-mouth disease in endemic regions.

Knowledge of the distribution of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is required if control programmes are to be successful. However, data on the seroprevalence and incidence of affected villages in developing countries with endemic disease are scarce. This is partly due to resource constraints as well as the logistical challenges of conducting intensive surveys and diagnostic testing in remote locations. In this study, we evaluated the performance of low resolution national-scale data against high resolution local survey data to predict the FMD serological status of 168 villages in the Mandalay and Sagaing Regions of central Myanmar using both logistic regression and random forest modelling approaches. Blood samples for ELISA testing were collected from approximately 30 cattle per village in both the 6 to 18 month age range and in the over 18 month age range to distinguish between recent and historical exposure, respectively. The results of the animal level tests were aggregated to the village level to provide the outcome of interest (village positive or not positive for FMD), and three explanatory data sets were constructed: using only nationally available data, using only data collected by survey and using the combined survey and nationally available data. The true seroprevalence of FMD at the village level was 61% when only young animals were included, but increased to 87% when all animals were included. The best performing model was a logistic regression model using the combined national and survey data to predict recent infection in villages. However, this still incorrectly classified 40% of villages, which suggests that using national-level data were not reliable enough for extrapolating seroprevalence in regions where conducting detailed surveys is impractical. Other methods for collected data on FMD such as the use of local reporting should be explored.

Estimating foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) prevalence in central Myanmar: Comparison of village headman and farmer disease reports with serological findings.

The impacts of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) on food security in developing countries are difficult to quantify due to the scarcity of accurate data on the prevalence and incidence of affected villages. This is partly due to resource constraints as well as the logistical challenges of conducting regular diagnostic testing in remote locations. In this study, we used descriptive analysis and latent class analysis (LCA) models to analyse data collected during a field survey of 160 villages in central Myanmar in the Mandalay and Sagaing Regions over the 2012-2016 time period. We evaluated the performance of verbal reports made by village householders and headmen against serological data to retrospectively determine the FMD-infection status of our study area and to identify factors contributing to under-reporting. Blood samples were collected from approximately 30 cattle per village in both the 6- to 18-month age range and over 18-month age range to distinguish between recent and historic exposure. Village householders were asked to identify pictures of FMD-affected cattle amongst pictures of cattle affected with other common endemic diseases to assess the accuracy of their verbal reporting. The serological results confirmed that FMD is endemic in central Myanmar with village-level seroprevalence estimated at 56% for animals 6-18 months of age and 80% when all age groups were considered together. Most village householders were familiar with the clinical signs of FMD-affected cattle (72%). Based on the results from the LCA models, the village headman had a sensitivity of 77% and specificity of 75% for identifying FMD outbreaks in their village, whereas individual householders had a higher sensitivity and lower specificity of 80% and 56%, respectively. The level of disagreement between the different sources was correlated with the total number of cattle in the village and may potentially be worse in villages where endemic FMD may have led to a high level of natural immunity in cattle and subsequent masking of clinical signs. However, other regional effects such as the intensity of FMD extension efforts cannot be ruled out. Overall, the results suggest that verbal reports of FMD outbreaks from village headmen may be a useful tool to integrate into active FMD surveillance programmes in developing countries.